The 5 Best Books on the Golden Years

“The years teach much which the days never knew.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

At every phase in life, we face a unique set of challenges. The “golden years” — or the time of life after retirement from active work, around the age of 60 — are filled with new circumstances unlike any faced before. Aging is one of the most important concerns of adulthood, but one of the least talked-about. So, we’ve rounded up some of our best selling and publisher-recommended books on aging to start the conversation on growing older and shine a light on the “golden years” of adulthood!

5 Best Books on Aging

Atul Gawande, a practicing surgeon and the best-selling author of The Checklist Manifesto, discusses the most difficult challenge of his profession: the end. In his newest book, Being Mortal, Gawande argues that medicine can comfort and enhance our experience even to the end, providing not only a good life but also a good ending.

A follow-up to her #1 New York Times bestseller, The Body Book, The Longevity Book examines the art and science of aging and offers practical steps women can take to create abundant health and resilience as they age. Sharing the latest scientific research on how and why we age, Diaz infuses her own thoughts, opinions, and experiences to provide women with a better understanding of the aging female body.

The CEO of AARP, Jo Ann Jenkins, wants to change the way we look at getting older. By focusing on three core areas (health, wealth, and self) and sharing stories of those who are making their mark as “disruptors,” Jenkins shows readers how we can be active, healthy, and happy as we get older. From caregiving and making our money last to building age-friendly communities and mindful living, Disrupt Aging is a powerful and engaging narrative that touches upon issues facing people 50+ today.

Growing older doesn’t mean that you can’t turn back your biological clocks. Dr. Henry “Harry” Lodge and his star patient, 73-year-old Chris Crowley, prove it in their best-selling book Younger Next Year. Based on the latest findings in cell physiology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and experimental psychology, Lodge and Crowley provide a program that can help readers put off 70% of the problems normally associated with aging and demonstrate how men and women can live with a newfound vitality deep into our 80s and beyond.

Written with unflinching candor, illuminating insight, and profound compassion, The Art of Aging is an exploration of the impact aging has on our minds, bodies, and relationships. Drawing on his own life and work, Sherwin B. Nuland teaches us that growing old is not a disease but an art — for those who practice it well — that can bring extraordinary results.

More often than not, aging is a difficult topic to discuss, but it doesn’t have to be that way. What books on aging would you add to this list?

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This post was written by Elizabeth Lee, the marketing associate at BookPal. She is currently readingThe Organized Mind by Daniel J. Levitin and The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss.